DATELINE COLONIAL BEACH, VA — The Colonial Beach Baptist Church has made a request of the Girl Scout and Boy Scout Units in Colonial Beach for assistance in response to critical food shortages at the Church’s Food pantry. At the request of the Pastor, the Colonial Beach Scout Units are preparing for a Special Emergency Food Drive with in the Town of Colonial Beach and its surrounding area.
The Colonial Beach Baptist Church’s Food Pantry serves approximately 30 to 35 different families in need per week and this special food drive will have a tremendous impact on each of the families that come to the Colonial Beach Baptist Church for help. The Church has close to 500 local families registered and on the books.
Beginning today, Scouts from the Town are urgently requesting all Town residents, local businesses and their employees to donate nonperishable food items, money or grocery gift cards to the Colonial Beach Baptist Church Food Pantry.
The Scouts are obtaining “Scouting for Food” bags and will be dispersing them throughout the Town on June 11, 2012. Donations will be picked up the following Saturday, the 16thof June, starting at approximately 10:00 AM.
VFW Post 10574 on Hawthorne will also have a Donation Box inside the front entrance of the post with in the next few days. Post members are encouraged to drop off a can or two each time they visit the post. Like the Scouting organizations, VFW members share our values of patriotism, teamwork, loyalty and service. For more than 110 years, the VFW and the Boy Scouts of America has sought to perpetuate the values that have made this nation great. Please become involved in this important effort in your own community.
Other community organizations are asked to get involved and help out when and where they can..
Question, What to donate? What are the Most Needed Items?
Residents are urged to donate the following: (No Glass Please! Pop-top items preferred if available…)
• Canned Meals: Stews, soups, tuna, ravioli, lasagna, spaghetti and meatballs, Macaroni and Cheese, Beefaroni, peanut butter, etc.
• Grains: Cereal, rice, pasta, dried beans
• Fruits: Fruit/fruit cups, dried fruit (raisins, plums, cranberries), applesauce, 100% juice and juice boxes
• Canned Vegetables
• Kid-friendly items: Fat-free, sugar free pudding cups, granola bars, breakfast bars, popcorn, graham and/or animal crackers
• Baby Products: Diapers, wipes, formula, infant cereal
The short time frame reflects the urgent need of the food pantry.
“We’ve seen how generous Colonial Beach residents can be,” said one Scout Leader. “We’re hoping that occurs again.”
The pantries’ shortages are the result of high demand due to the economy combined with cuts in federal funding. FEMA awarded $119 million in Emergency Food & Shelter Program grants nationwide in August of 2011, a 40 % drop from the $200 million dispersed in 2010 and a 60 % drop from the $300 million given in 2009. In 2010, a dozen nonprofit groups received approximately $276K in grants.
Very Respectfully Yours in Scouting,